Climbing Accidents

Climbing is the "Safest" of the Extreme Sports

Photo Credit: Scott Hailstone/iStock

Even with the current mania in this country for rock climbing, the number of deaths in the U.S. from all climbing accidents averages about 25 per year, or about 1 death every other week. This makes climbing one of the safest of the “extreme” sports. So why do many people think that climbing is so dangerous? That may be due in part to the fact that climbing accidents often get a disproportionate amount of media coverage, leading many to feel that climbing accidents are much more frequent than they really are. The fact of the matter is, climbing accidents are so rare that they almost fail to show up on many accident charts at all.

What Causes Most Climbing Accidents?

Lack of proper training is the leading cause of climbing accidents, followed by equipment failure or the lack of proper equipment maintenance. Many people simply drive to a climbing area and try their hand at it with little or nothing in the way of training and almost no equipment—and then they are surprised when they suffer an accident.
Accidents are also caused by simple overconfidence; climbers think they know more than they actually do and suddenly find themselves in a dangerous situation with no idea of what to do.
Carelessness is another cause of climbing accidents. Equipment must be maintained and checked (and re-checked) before each climb. Carelessness ties in with overconfidence many times. New climbers check and re-check knots and the set up of their belayer…but as climbers gain more experience and become too confident in their climbing abilities, these things tend to become less important – and that’s when accidents happen.

Tips for Remaining Accident and Injury Free

An injury can keep you from climbing for an entire season. Even a minor injury can be annoying and painful. Here are a few tips for reducing your chances of being injured while climbing.
Start by warming up your muscles before a climb. Do some stretching exercises to limber your muscles and to get your core body temperature up. Also, when you are finished with your climb take a few minutes to allow your body to cool down.
Don’t overdo it. Many climbers become fanatical and spend every free minute climbing. This is bad for your muscles and bad for your entire body. Pace yourself. Never climb more than 4 times a week – fewer times if you are doing strenuous climbing. Climbing with tired or weak muscles is a prescription for disaster.
Never climb when you are injured. A sprained finger or a stretched or torn tendon or ligament will not be improved by a climbing session. As difficult as it may be to admit that you have an injury and to stay away from climbing, you will do yourself and others a world of good and help to reduce the number and severity of climbing accidents if you will refrain from climbing until your body is in peak shape.

Let Common Sense Be Your Guide

Know your limits and don’t put yourself in a position that takes you well past those limits. Train and keep training – and always climb with a buddy. Climbing can be a great sport, an excellent way to test your physical and physiological limits – but be careful out there.